Slobberknocker Central Monday Night Recap #273
February 5th, 2001
The Opening Word:
The XFL: Too Xtreme or not Xtreme enough?
Critics of the league can't seem to decide which it is. Depending on who you
read or listen to, the XFL's inaugural game Saturday night either crossed
the line, or didn't go far enough. Some, I guess determined to criticize the
XFL no matter what it was, contradicted themselves and said it was both.
The WWF may not have scored a touchdown with their first game, a 19-0 blowout
between the Las Vegas Outlaws and New York/New Jersey Hitmen. The game was
exciting early on, but as the second half unfolded the New York team
self-destructed, while the Vegas team was content to sit on their 19 point
lead. At that point they wisely switched over to the secondary game, a close
one between the Chicago Enforcers and the Orlando Rage. That game came down
to the very last play, a Hail Mary pass intercepted by Orlando to preserve a
33-29 victory.
Of all the XFL rules that differed from the NFL, the one that had the
greatest impact was the 35 second game clock. There were a number of
delay-of-game penalties suffered by all teams in both games. Other notable
rule changes, such as the "no fair catch" rule, really played no part in
either game.
The most notable difference from the NFL was the camera work. The XFL games
had cameras everywhere, and the default camera view was from behind the
quarterback, shot by a camera roughly 20 feet in the air, suspended from a
cable that allowed it to slide the entire length of the field. It looked a
lot like many of the football video games. It was disorienting at first, but
I eventually got used to it. They also had (heavily protected) cameramen on
the field, who would scurry out of harm's way as the players lined up for
the plays.
They also had everything mic'ed. Everything. You could hear the plays being
radioed in to the quarterback, the quarterback announcing the play in the
huddle, the coach and the players talking on the sidelines, the fans, and
the announcing team. The presence of all the mics was maybe the biggest
negative of the game. The sideline reporter had a habit of getting in the
face of players who just made big plays. Rarely did they get anything
coherent out of them, because the players were usually out of breath. You
could also feel the tension when he'd ask a player who made a flub why he's
playing so badly? It became a joke between the announcers when the coach
just ignored the guy, and players started walking away from him. True to
NBC's word they were quick to use the mute button to block out
profanity--which there wasn't a whole lot of anyway. I think "shit" is about
the only expletive that made it out, once, early in the game, when a guy
who'd made a big play complained to his teammates that they "shook the shit
out of [him]" as he tried to get up.
(Note to those who can't tell when Vince McMahon is joking: Not once did
they ask a cheerleader when a guy blew a play if it was because she slept
with him the night before.)
Speaking of the announcers, the team for the "A" game was Matt Vasgersian
and Minnesota governor Jesse "The Body" Ventura. Both have drawn fire for
being crass and profane, but the truth is neither said much of anything at
all worthy of controversy. That hasn't stopped people from complaining.
Example: I saw one news report point out when Vasgersian called a
tipped-pass touchdown "sloppy seconds". Ooh--call the FCC! Perhaps the most
controversial, or extreme, thing Ventura said was a comment he made
approving the removal of the New York quarterback after a disastrous series
of downs for that team. Vasgersian & Ventura spent most of their time playing
hypemeisters for the league. Anyone saying they "crossed the line" is really
just blowing smoke. More believable are the complaints from those who didn't
think they lived up to the hype of being outspoken.
Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler, covering the second game, were far and
away better than the other announce team. It helped that they had a more
exciting game, played in front of a larger crowd. They were better prepared,
had more energy, and were a lot edgier in their tone and comments. There
were exactly as they are on RAW, and if you like that you'd like them here.
If not, they maybe came off as loud and annoying.
The broadcast started with a taped message from the Rock, shown before the
live Vegas crowd, intended to pump the fans up. Then, after some fireworks
and such, Vince McMahon was introduced and he briefly addressed the crowd,
thanking fans for tuning in to the inaugural game. The first difference from
the NFL then came when the opening possession was decided by a scramble for
the ball, as opposed to the traditional coin toss. The ball was placed on
the field, and one player from each team lined up side-by-side several yards
away. The whistle blew, and the two players made a dash for the ball. It was
an interesting innovation, which really excited the live crowd. Before play
started they took a few moments to allow the home team players on offense to
introduce themselves. This was the beginning of the star-making process.
They did the same later when the home defense first took the field. I'm
guessing they'll only do this for the home team's first games.
From there it was just plain football.
The big pre-game magnets of controversy, the XFL cheerleaders, turned out to
be much ado about nothing as well. Their costumes weren't all that much more
revealing than the average NFL cheerleader's. The camera went for a lot of
butt and cleavage shots, though not nearly as many as one might have
expected, given the hype. They also weren't shown as often as I expected,
usually just coming back from commercial breaks. Anyone who watches "The Man
Show" on Comedy Central had to laugh at how tame the XFL cheerleaders
actually came off.
There weren't many tie-in's or plugs for the WWF. No promos for RAW or
SmackDown! The only WWF presence was the Rock video, the McMahon speech, and
two later videos shown during the game with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and
the Undertaker. NBC, though, took all kinds of opportunities to plug their
network and shows, including numerous spots for one of SmackDown!'s main
competitors, "Friends". There were even special football-themed plugs for
"Ed" and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien". I think there was only one plug
during the game for the Sunday XFL game on UPN.
Celebrities in attendance included actor/comedian David Spade, who's on
NBC's "Just Shoot Me", and has a movie coming out (an ad for which was shown
during a commercial); and Tony Siragusa of the NFL Super Bowl champion
Baltimore Ravens.
The game play itself was good, but not great. Lots of dropped passes. There
were enough big plays and hits, though, to keep things interesting until
Vegas pulled too far ahead. Then the New York team fell to pieces, and the
quarterback had to be replaced. That was when they made the smart decision
to cut to the other game.
Halftime was both interesting and uneventful. It was different to see and
hear what the coach says at halftime. The problem was the New York coach
didn't really get fired up, while the Las Vegas coach just made some
friendly suggestions to a few of his players. Down the road, when the games
mean more, this could be a big drawing point of the games.
Overall I think the WWF put on a decent product. Unfortunately I haven't
seen much praise out there for it. Those offended by the sun rising of
course find the product full of flaws, calling it too lewd and violent to be
on TV. Others said it didn't live up to its hype by not pushing the envelope
far enough. Sports purists bashed the quality of the game play. I personally
didn't think it was much worse than the average college football game, or
any more boring than most NFL blowouts. There certainly wasn't anything bad
enough about the first game to doom the league. The question is was there
enough good to ensure a lasting fanbase? It was flawed, but it was also just
the first game of the first season of an entirely new league. McMahon and
NBC sports head Dick Ebersol were there, taking notes on the game. I'm sure
a lot of the flaws and shortcomings will be worked on in the coming weeks. I
doubt that will silence the critics, though.
A lot of criticism for the game here in the Minnesota media, which is still
hung up over governor Ventura moonlighting as a game commentator. I'm not
sure how many sports fans here watched the game, as it went up against the
Minnesota Timberwolves, the Wolves setting the NBA on fire right now,
winning their tenth straight game Saturday night.
Speaking for myself, I enjoyed the game. I'm not the biggest football fan,
but I do watch Minnesota Viking games. (Here in Minnesota you have to. HAVE
TO. It's like a law or something.) When the Vikings aren't playing I only
pay a little attention to other NFL games. I rarely watch college football.
It was just exciting and different enough from the NFL to get me to watch a
few more games. We'll see, a couple weeks from now, whether they improve,
stay the same, or get worse.
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WCW Monday Nitro:
Live/Taped: Live.
Length: Two Hours.
Location: Tupelo, Mississippi.
Hosted By: Tony Schiavone & Scott Hudson.
HOUR ONE:
- Kevin Nash is out as the show comes on the air, CEO Ric Flair and Animal
in the ring as well. Words are exchanged, with the end result being Nash
charging the ring. Animal cuts him off. A punch and a slam to the guard
rail sends Animal to dreamland. (Let me just correct myself: "charging"
isn't the best word to describe Nash's movements. More like "ambling".)
A high knee from Nash takes out Flair. Big boot to the neck, pinning
Flair in the corner. Nash says he's going to strip Flair naked, and
commences to do so. The coat's off. The shirt's off. Thank god for the
undershirt, so we don't have to see (too much of) Flair's big belly and
man-boobs. The pants are off. I won't even hazard a guess as to which
sports team's logo is all over those boxers. Eagle-eyed Schiavone says
it's the Florida Gators.
Meanwhile, Mike Sanders greets an arriving limo bearing Scott Steiner,
Buff Bagwell, Lex Luger & Midajah. Sanders tells them that Nash is
destroying Flair.
Back in the ring, Nash is destroying Flair. Nash says he's in charge now.
The crowd reaction is like "he's beating up Ric Flair!" mixed with "he's
beating up Ric Flair?" Flair lays in some chops--Nash no-sells them. Nash
drops the straps, and sets Flair up for the powerbomb. Out come the bad
guys. Nash holds them at bay using Flair's limp body. Nash says they
better do some negotiating, and that he brought a negotiator tonight.
Before anyone can raise up their Scott Hall signs, the Cat and Miss Jones
sneak in through the crowd (Steiner and the others caught off guard
watching the entryway). The Cat says he's in charge tonight, and starts
booking matches, after each one getting a grunt of approval from Flair,
who's being held in a head vise by Nash. Steiner is booked in three
matches: against some cruiserweights; against Diamond Dallas Page; and
against Nash for the title. Also, if Steiner loses then Flair has to
resign at midnight tonight. AND Nash gets a Mystery Partner to help him.
(Gee, what's the odds of that Mystery Partner turning on Nash?) The crowd
chants for Goldberg. The total humiliation and destruction of Ric Flair
as a draw is complete. Consider:
* Eric Bischoff hates Ric Flair.
* Bischoff reassumes control of WCW.
* Flair is beaten, stripped, and humiliated in front of millions.
Does anyone think this is just a coincidence, that the storylines just
happen to coincide with Bischoff's real-life revenge fantasies?
- SCOTT STEINER vs. THE JUNG DRAGONS/JAMIE KNOBLE/EVAN KARAGIAS
Squash. The cruiserweights rally and beat on him for about five seconds,
covering for a two count, but then Steiner continues the squash, securing
the win with a Steiner Recliner applied to three of them stacked like
cord wood. Steiner wrestled in his street clothes. Depressing.
- Steiner is pissed (even though he barely broke a sweat in his first
match). Flair blames this fiasco on Sanders, and orders him to make
things right.
- Nash and his guys are celebrating.
- Mean Gene gets comments from Rick Steiner.
- Mean Gene gets comments from Brian Adams. They show a clip of the
chairshot on Thunder which put Bryan Clark out of action.
- Now Flair and his guys are all laughing, because Animal took Clark out
last week. Umm, weren't these guys all pissed just two minutes ago.
- SHANE DOUGLAS vs. RICK STEINER
A good match for this show, pretty bad by any other standards. Steiner
scores the pin for the second straight week with the Steiner Driver. New
U.S. Champion.
- Flair, completely over the humiliation and beating he suffered earlier,
has a talk with Chavo Guerrero. He tells him he's found a talented
opponent for him to face tonight. Flair cuts it short, though, when on a
monitor he sees Dustin Rhodes entering the arena. Dustin pumps up the
crowd. Flair comes out, orders Dustin's mic be cut, says he'll never work
in WCW, and orders them to cut away. The screen abruptly goes black.
- A replay of Dustin being escorted out by security gets cut off, by order
of Flair.
- SCOTT STEINER (w/ Midajah) vs. DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE
Steiner has changed to wrestling trunks for this one. Some okay action
kills time until the start of RAW, at which point the ref takes a bump.
DDP hits a Diamond Cutter, but there's no ref. DDP checks on the ref, who
suddenly calls for the bell. Huh? Whatever. DDP is then attacked in the
crowd by Kanyon(!) and Jeff Jarrett. Continuity? Sure. Lost opportunity?
You bet. Kanyon cold have made a big splash returning as a babyface.
Instead he did the typical "return-and-instantly-turn-heel", and as usual
it was presented as an afterthought. Compare his return to Eddie
Guerrero's over on RAW.
HOUR TWO:
- DDP's buddies get help for him. Jarrett & Kanyon, meanwhile, flee from
the building.
- CHAVO GUERRERO, JR. vs. EL NINO
That's "Neen-yo", with one a "~" over the second "n". WCW tried to drum
up some hype and mystery for this show by announcing the debut of Nino.
Anxious fans online speculated it might be ECW's Super Crazy, who's
probably going to the company soon. Well, immediately it's apparent that
"El Nino" is really Rey Mysterio, Jr. The fact that the guy's about four
feet tall, uses all of Rey's moves, and wears a full-body suit to cover
his distinctive build and tatoos kind of gives it away. The announcers,
though, are clueless, until about one move before the finish. "El Nino"
gets the pin following a springboard legdrop. Why did Flair, who is
trying to recruit Guerrero onto his team, screw him over by putting him
in this match?
Sorry, I can't move on from this yet. How in the hell did this match come
about? Did Mysterio go to Flair and say "I've got a mask, can I pretend
to be 'El Nino' and wrestle against Chavo?" Couldn't they at least have
shown the "real" El Nino backstage tied up, to explain how Mysterio got
his costume and mask?
- LANCE STORM/MIKE AWESOME vs. CHUCK PALUMBO/SEAN O'HAIRE
Funny how WCW let Major Gunns go (along with Paisley, Tygress, Leia Meow
and Daffney), yet Scott Steiner got to keep his girl (Midajah), and
Eric's buddy the Cat his (Miss Jones). Wow ... a pretty good match here,
the crowd totally into it by the end based on nothing other than the
match itself. Elix Skipper gets involved in things when he has to tell a
groggy Lance Storm that he's accidentally put the Canadian Mapleleaf on
his own partner. Palumbo & O'Haire then win with a big boot/Seanton Bomb
combo on Mike Awesome. The two are developing a real ring presence.
... compared to Shawn Stasiak & Mark Jindrak, who we see backstage
whining about being better than Palumbo & O'Haire.
- BUFF BAGWELL vs. BRIAN ADAMS
Not much to note here. Lex Luger comes out, but gets jumped by Bryan
Clarke, who was supposed to have the night off. Adams then chokeslams
Buff. The bell rings. DQ? Draw? who knows. Adams is then attacked by
Luger & Bagwell. That's two matches tonight where the finish has been a
big "huh?"
- Flair's team is now in high spirits, because everything since that
opening segment has gone their way. I guess we're supposed to forget that
Flair laid in the ring in his underwear for ten minutes, because the
wrestlers have, the announcers have, and the crowd has. You can't do a
big angle like that, then use Flair in other angles like it never
happened. Flair should be spending the entire remainder of the show
fuming.
- Mean Gene gets comments from Adams.
- SCOTT STEINER (w/ Midajah) vs. KEVIN NASH
Nash's Mystery Partner is Rick Steiner. Oh yeah, he's turning on Nash.
Sure enough, after a few minutes of action, Nash covers Steiner for a
pin, as Rick stands by clapping. Rick then drops the elbow, fooling not
one person in the crowd or watching at home. (Of course the announcers
are fooled, because they're stupid.) Pin by Steiner. That's pretty much
it, except for a mumbled challenge by Nash, and DDP coming out with a
chair. Just as he rushes down the aisle the show blinks out.
- This Wednesday: Nothing announced.
- Next week: Nothing announced.
Comments:
For a company on the verge of being shut down and relaunched with a new
look, this was a harmless rehash of stuff we've seen a million times. For a
company planning on doing less than a total shutdown, it was a disaster.
Every bad booking decision that could have been made given these storylines
was done so. But hey, the wrestling was okay in a few matches, right? Well,
let's hope those few good matches a week can win over viewers, because
everything else being done right now spells disaster for this company.
Talk about crushing the morale of the fans. The positive moments they get,
such as Flair being humiliated and Rick Steiner winning the U.S. Title, were
all wiped out by the end of the show. Flair had the last laugh, his guys
coming out completely on top. Kronik was left laying, DDP was taken out,
Dustin was run out of the building, they added a new belt to their stable,
and Nash was betrayed. The babyfaces didn't score any permanent points in
the ongoing game against the heels. Do they ever? It's all about the swerve,
with every one being done (at least three of them tonight) diminishing the
concept even further.
Can we all chip in and buy Lex Luger a sense of fashion? Everyone else in
his group looked fine, but Luger, he dresses like a retired shrimp boat
captain.
So much for Dusty Rhodes. Not that I'm complaining, mind you, but after he
popped that big rating last week I figured he'd be back for good. Thankfully
it was a one-shot deal. Too bad for those fans who were legitimately excited
by his return. That's why I hate it when WCW does something like that.
They're screwed if they keep him around, but they screw the fans when he
isn't used again.
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WWF RAW is WAR:
Live/Taped: Live.
Length: Two Hours+.
Location: Atlanta, Georgia.
Hosted By: Jim Ross & Jerry "The King" Lawler.
WWF RAW:
- Clips from SmackDown! Xtreme. You know, the only thing "xtreme" about the
show may have been that Stephanie McMahon wasn't wearing a bra (as seen
in the clips).
- MATT HARDY (w/ Lita) vs. CHRIS JERICHO
Jeff Hardy is absent, out selling the move Buh-Buh Ray Dudley did to him
last Thursday (the Buh-Buh Cutter off the stage through a table). Dean
Malenko comes out right away on the stage, to be near his lady-love Lita.
Mat wrestling to start, followed by a brief excursion to the floor. Back
in, Jericho hits a clothesline off the top. Jericho dominating here. Now
Matt fights back, stripping of his shirt to get a squeal from the girls.
Jericho hangs him in the Tree of Woe and pounds away. In comes Lita with
a huracanrana off the top. Cover by Matt, and the crowd pops for the near
fall. Matt signals for the Twist of Fate, but Jericho breaks out of it
with punches, and he tosses Matt over the top to the floor. Malenko
attacks, taking out both Matt and Lita with his charge. Matt is tossed
back in. Bulldog, followed by a Lionsault, and Jericho covers for the pin.
Good match. Matt goes after Malenko, only to be jumped by Perry Saturn.
Jericho lends a hand to Matt. Malenko & Saturn back up the ramp, jawing
with Jericho in the ring, offering a distraction as Eddie Guerrero comes
in the other side and attacks! Eddie's back ... and he's jacked! Someone
must have given him some Weider product, because his upper body is huge.
Three-on-one Radical beatdown, with Jericho being laid out, his
Intercontinental Title belt laid on his face, and Eddie delivers the Frog
Splash onto the belt! Eddie's looooooking goooooooood.
The Rock arrives--blows off Kevin Kelly.
- The Rock makes his way to the ring. He says some rather unflattering
things about Triple H and Stephanie. Stephanie comes out. Man, not only
is she not wearing a bra again, but under the stage lights her top is
transparent! Look for a lot of screen shots on the geek sites tomorrow.
On a related Stephanie note, that girl has the goofiest entrance video of
anyone in the business. It didn't catch what she said--I was distracted.
Triple H comes out, growls the usual, and he and the Rock are about to
get it on. Now Kurt Angle is out, saying if the two want to battle to see
who the #1 contender to his title is that's fine, otherwise he wishes
they'd shut up. Here comes Vince McMahon. "Asshole!" chant from the
crowd. Vince tells them to shut up, otherwise he won't bring an XFL
expansion franchise to Atlanta. "In the interest of fairness--", he's cut
of by the Rock, who says he's tired of listening to McMahon talk for 20
minutes. So Vince books the following: Kurt Angle & the Rock versus
Triple H & "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Of course if Triple H or Austin
touch each other they will be penalized, Austin losing his title shot,
AND Triple H being suspended for six months. It doesn't matter who starts
it, they'll both be punished. Better (and shorter) than the usual 20
minute opening gabfest.
- Vince has made the main event "No Holds Barred".
- EDGE/CHRISTIAN vs. KAIENTAI
Edge & Christian cut a promo, though their voices are dubbed ... in
Japanese! Kaientai come out. Taka Michinoku says their Japanese is bad,
and that they just told the fans that they'd be having "sexual relations
with a camel!" No squash here. Taka & Funaki get in a ton of offense, and
come *that* close to scoring a pin. A miscue then results in Taka being
crotched on the top rope. Funaki is speared by Edge, then Christian
climbs on his shoulders and they give Taka the Stacker suplex off the
top.
Stephanie complains to her makeup lady about an earring that was found by
the maid in Vince McMahon's hotel room. In the background we see William
Regal eavesdropping.
- Vince plays exposition on the phone, badmouthing the sports critics and
plugging the big ratings the XFL games did. Stephanie barges in and
demands to know how Trish Stratus' earring got in his room. Vince insists
they're just friends. William Regal then comes in, thanks McMahon for
letting him use his room, mentions a rendezvous he had, then plucks the
earring out of Stephanie's grasp, saying he'll make sure it gets back to
who it belongs. Stephanie is flabbergasted.
- Steve Austin arrives. When told about the match he's in he storms off in
search of McMahon.
- The Kat tries to hire the APA. She has so money, so she gives them a look
under her coat as payment. From the back she appears to be naked.
Bradshaw is so flummoxed he nearly spills his beer!
- The Dudley Boyz ... the Undertaker & Kane ... NEXT! Does D-Von Dudley
know he's wearing his title belt upside down?
- Molly Holly, waiting in the parking area for Raven's ninja girl to
arrive, tells Michael Cole she weighs 275 pounds (Molly, not the ninja).
WWF WAR ZONE:
- THE DUDLEY BOYZ vs. THE UNDERTAKER/KANE
D-Von's wearing his belt the right way now. This one actually starts a
bit before the top of the hour, going up against the main event on Nitro.
About what you'd expect: okay, but a bit long given who's in there. The
Dudleyz have the Undertaker set up for the 3-D, but Kane, on the floor,
reaches in and trips D-Von, while the Taker catches Buh-Buh with a DDT.
Chokeslam by the Undertaker, at which point Edge & Christian run in,
waving chairs. Obviously they think the Dudleyz are a better team to win
the belts from than the Dead Men. An attempted Conchairto misses. The
Undertaker gets one of the chairs and uses it. The ref, who had been down
trying to break up Kane and D-Von and missed Edge & Christian coming in,
comes back in, sees Buh-Buh out, sees the chair in the Undertaker's
hands, and calls for the bell. I'd liked to have seen the champs get a
win here.
- Trish is starting to put the moves on McMahon when Austin comes into the
room. Vince tells Stone Cold that he's not trying to screw him. Austin
agrees, since it looks like he's trying to screw someone else! Some of
these segments should end with rimshots.
- The Kat leads the APA to the ring. She says Right To Censor is stifling
her freedom of expression, and announces the beginning of the "Right To
Nudity" movement. God, WWF fans are sheep! Some guy in the crowd already
has a "Right To Nudity" sign! Long story short, the RTC come out, they
fight with the APA, Steven Richards grabs the Kat, she kisses him, then
Bradshaw flattens him with the Clothesline From Hell. The Kat is then
attacked by Ivory, and the whole segment ends up going nowhere. You've
got to think they're going to do a match between those two at the PPV,
with the Kat going topless if she wins. Not that she'll get naked, but
the WWF wouldn't mind letting us think that.
- Molly does push-ups, letting us look at her cleavage. She asks Raven when
his woman is going to show up? "I don't have a woman ... yet." Raven
strokes Molly's cheek. Creepy.
- Vince teaches Trish some XFL football by having her bend over in front of
him, like she's the center and he's the quarterback. (You don't have to
look far to see where Bischoff learned about letting his fantasies play
out on TV.) Al Snow comes in, gets the slow burn from Vince for
interrupting him, and tells the boss that he doesn't like how Mick Foley
was treated. Vince says he doesn't care about Foley, but he cares about
Snow, and wishes him good luck in his match tonight. Match?
- Raven's car pulls up. Molly drags the masked woman out, and gets the
better of her, until Raven grabs Molly. She gives him a low blow, but the
ninja girl is able to take out Molly. She then tosses Raven in the back
seat and tears out of the parking area.
- Michael Cole gets comments from Too Cool. Haku then bursts in, releasing
a torrent of Tongan. Rikishi follows. "Wh'zup Scotty?"
- TOO COOL vs. RIKISHI/HAKU
The usual here, with the Samoans scoring the pin when Rikishi drops his
ass on Grandmaster Sexay.
Angle, looking for the Rock, comes across Essa Rios. He says it's great
that Essa is back in the company. Hah!
- Angle tells the Rock that if all goes well tonight he may be able to get
the Rock in another #1 contender match. The Rock shakes his hand, but
doesn't let go. One way or another, he says, he'll be WWF Champion.
- AL SNOW vs. CHRIS BENOIT
Having this match on so late is going to hurt the ratings I bet. Some
nice moves by Snow, including two rapid-fire moonsaults, but Benoit ends
up winning it with the Crippler Crossface. The crowd was pretty dead for
this one.
That's what you get for annoying Vince. McMahon is interrupted by
Stephanie, who's worried about Austin being up to something. Vince blows
her off.
- Chyna's at WWF New York. Yay.
- Ross and the King talk some smack about a writer for USA Today who
apparently bashed their XFL commentating performance. Lawler intimates
the guy is gay, then adds that if he is married, his wife's best friend
needs batteries. Oh, real mature. Ross said he would say something about
Dennis Miller later (what, did Miller bash them too?), but I didn't catch
what Ross said.
- Video package of the XFL games. I only saw a bit of the Sunday game, but
the finish was a doozy. The San Francisco team needed a field goal to
beat Los Angeles. With time running out, and the announcer loudly
counting down the last ten seconds, the team rushed their kicker onto the
field (they were out of time outs, and it was fourth down). The ball was
snapped, and with no time left on the clock the ball sailed through the
uprights. San Francisco wins, 15-13. You couldn't have booked a better
finish.
- Triple H is grousing at Stephanie when Stone Cold enters. He offers a
handshake, but Triple H passes.
- KURT ANGLE/THE ROCK vs. TRIPLE H/"STONE COLD" STEVE AUSTIN
This is the type of match where the guys slap each other to tag
themselves in. Angle gets bounced around by Austin and Triple H, and even
his own partner slugs him at one point. Poor Kurt. The action in the
match is actually bordering on great, when suddenly we hear the dreaded--
"Well ... well it's the Big Show!"
Big Show lumbers to the ring (shirtless, showing he has indeed lost some
weight). He grabs the Rock on the floor and clotheslines him. A
neckbreaker of some sort follows. He then leaves. Well, that wasn't too
bad. Rock is helped away from the ring by referees.
Triple H and Austin do the spot where they take turns slamming Angle's
head into the announce table. Back in the ring, Triple H is whipped into
the ropes. Austin pushes the ropes down, and Triple H drops to the floor.
Ross is funny, first denying that Austin did anything, then quickly
admitting that Austin might have had something to do with it. Austin
tries to help Triple H up, but the Game shoves him away. Angle takes
control. Austin moves to another corner of the ring so Triple H can't tag
out. Angle retrieves a chair, goes after Triple H, but Triple H catches
him with a kick, then gives him the Pedigree. Austin is in to tie up the
ref, so no count can be made. Triple H comes over to Austin. Stone Cold
flips him the bird. Triple H swings, but Austin duck--then flips him off
again. Angle, meanwhile, has recovered. Swing of the chair, and Triple H
goes down. 1 ... 2 ... 3! Damn, that's the cleanest job Triple H has done
in years. Austin flips Triple H off one last time, then takes out the
celebrating Angle with a Stone Cold Stunner. The show fades out with
Austin chugging a beer.
- This Thursday: Nothing announced.
- Next week: Nothing announced.
Comments:
Not one mention was made of this week's upcoming SmackDown! That, added to
less hype for the XFL (though there was a lot of basking in the glow of the
successful debut), made for a much better Monday night show. There was good
wrestling throughout, the storylines moved along at a good clip, and the
main story of Austin & Triple H not being able to touch each other is good.
All the show was missing was a really big storyline development to make the
show memorable. As it was it was an entertaining, solid show.
We did get a ton of XFL hype, though not from the WWF, but from TNN. TNN
replaced all their "We Got Pop" promos with XFL promos (and I do mean ALL
of them--somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 over the course of RAW). TNN
airs their first XFL game this coming Sunday, and seeing the ratings the
first games got, they sure decided to hype it in a big way. It got old fast.
The next few weeks are going to be interesting. The WWF has a lot of stuff
on deck to work into the mix. Eddie Guerrero is back. X-Pac will be back on
TV very soon. Shawn Michaels is coming back. And there's all the new ECW
talent coming in (see below). It remains to be seen how much is introduced
in the next couple weeks, the night after No Way Out, or saved until after
WrestleMania. I hope the WWF shakes things up sooner rather than later.
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The Bottom Line:
Add Rhino and Jerry Lynn to the list of ECW guys who have signed with the
WWF. Yoshihiro Tajiri will probably be next. Probably the most intriguing
thing to develop on this front last week was an admission on the WWF website
that they want Paul Heyman to join their booking team. Jim Ross, in his
weekly report, said they'd love him to come on board, but that it was Paul's
decision to make. The WWF is rarely so open about such things. They made it
clear that there's an offer on the table for Heyman to come in. Paul,
though, is still trying to find the deal that will save his company.
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"Slobberknocker Central" and "Monday Night Recap" are copyright 2001 by
John Petrie, and all opinions expressed therein are his own, and not those
of "USLink". Check the "Slobberknocker Central" main page for info on how
to receive the "Recap" free via E-Mail every week.
Volume One, Number 273 of the "Monday Night Recap", February 5th, 2001.